President Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address

Shared by Jon Rappoport 1.25.17 – readily available on & off the Internet …

In his 1796 Farewell Address, President George Washington provided exceptional recommendations about nationalism:

“It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world…”“But even our commercial [trade] policy [with foreign nations] should hold an equal and impartial hand…diffusing and diversifying by gentle means the streams of commerce, but forcing nothing…constantly keeping in view that it is folly in one nation to look for disinterested favors from another; that it must pay with a portion of its independence for whatever it may accept under that character…There can be no greater error than to expect or calculate upon real favors from nation to nation. It is an illusion, which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.”“…Europe has a set of primary interests which to us have none; or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves by artificial ties in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.”“Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest…?”“With me a predominant motive has been to endeavor to gain time to our country to settle and mature its yet recent institutions, and to progress without interruption to that degree of strength and consistency which is necessary to give it, humanly speaking, the command of its own fortunes.”……….

Whenever Washington mentions Europe, he is essentially referring to any foreign country.………

All those years ago a leader of our country got the whole synopsis right, and captured it in this short, but powerfully, truthful piece.

What this current Administration will bring is yet to be seen – the beginnings seem good but as Jon also mentioned – opposition to Washington’s assessment, has become legion.

The fight to get even a fair portion of the original intent back in & on line will be indescribably enormous.